The Balvenie and Questlove Return with Season Three of the Webby-Winning Series, Quest for Craft
Today, The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky has launched the third season of Quest for Craft, in partnership with six-time GRAMMY Award Winning musician, Oscar -winning filmmaker, producer, DJ, director, culinary entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.
Described as a “conversational investigation” of craft and creativity, each episode of Quest For Craft explores a specific theme, combining free-wheeling dialogue between Questlove and a fellow creative along with other interviews, animations and documentary segments. The main conversations are filmed at the iconic Electric Lady Studios in New York City (commissioned by Jimi Hendrix in 1968). All episodes are available on YouTube as of today.
● Chapter 9, Craft and Joy with 8-time GRAMMY Award winning artist, songwriter and record producer Anderson .Paak - The musical duo explore how they each bring happiness to their fans through their craft and creativity.
● Chapter 10, Craft and Connection with American Cellist Yo-Yo Ma - Questlove and Yo-Yo Ma discuss how seeking to make a genuine connection with their audience affects the act of creation.
● Chapter 11, Craft and Voice with Lena Waithe - The history-making creator and Questlove delve deep into the topic of infusing their work with their individual perspectives and points of view.
● Chapter 12, Craft and Commitment with Actor and Peabody Award-Winning Comedian Fred Armisen - Fred Armisen and Questlove explore the comedian’s commitment to the surprising, unexpected characters he has crafted throughout his career.
“I’ve been an obsessive student of creativity my whole life,” explained Questlove. “I’m interested in how people make things, how creators move from one medium to another, what makes work better - and what allows creators to hold onto the passion that inspired them in the first place. And surprisingly, it turns out I have a lot in common with a 131-year-old whisky based in rural Scotland. It’s a pleasure to explore these issues with creatives I respect and admire. The series is sort of like educational TV for adults – I follow my curiosity wherever it leads and I never fail to learn. As a creator, I am increasingly moving from a head space to a heart space and this season reflects that. We’re interested in how people’s passion drives and improves their work.”
“The Balvenie is a rarity in the world of global single malts in that we are committed to our distillery not just as a place of production, but as a community of makers,” said Greg Levine, Vice President,
Marketing, Single Malt Scotch Whiskies USA. “As a family-owned company, we’re willing to invest in upholding the Five Rare Crafts of whisky-making. Nowhere else can you find a distillery that grows its own barley, malts in its own traditional floor maltings and still employs a team of coopers to tend to the casks alongside a coppersmith to maintain the stills. This isn’t a business decision, it’s what we believe makes the very best whisky possible. This commitment to maintaining a cohesive community of craftspeople working together brings invaluable skill, knowledge, experience and passion to every stage of the whisky-making process. Our partnership with Questlove allows us to explore the very creativity and craftsmanship that drove the Grant family to begin making whisky in the first place.”
Quest for Craft Season One launched in 2021 with episodes featuring The Godmother of Punk, singer-songwriter Patti Smith, SNL comedian Michael Che and more. The season won the 2021 Shorty Award in the Industry: Wine, Beer & Spirits and 2021 Brand Film Award in the Consumer Goods categories. In 2022, Quest for Craft Season Two highlighted conversations with GRAMMY Award-winning musician Mark Ronson, professional ballet dancer Misty Copeland, and others, which earned the show the 2023 Webby Award for Series (Branded) Video and resulted in winning The Drum Award for Marketing Americas 2023 in the Food and Beverage category.
